BJs

Saturday, May 26, 2012

ButterFly 1974

ButterFly 1974
From 1962-1974, Barbra's recording career progressed without controversy. Then, in 1973, she met Jon Peters, fell in love, and everything changed. Jon wanted to get involved with her career as a manager, and she was open to his ideas to the extent that she allowe him to produce her new pop album. Considering the uproar, you might have thought she had given him carte blanche to remake her entire musical career. The controversy was a preview of the flack she and Peters would face with A Star Is Born. But for ButterFly, there really wasn't much risk involved, because Jon's contributions were primarily the cover design -- a conceptual joke that showed a stick of butter with a fly perched on top. (Jon learned quickly that to sell a Streisand album, put Barbra's face on the cover; he made sure her image was prominently on display for A Star Is Born). As for the song selection, Jon had suggestions that nudged Barbra to experiment with different styles of music, like reggae, gospel and country. ButterFly is not nearly the disaster many predicted it would be and many still perceive it to be to this day. Barbra's rendition of "I Won't Last A Day Without You," "Love in the Afternoon," "Since I Don't Have You" and "Crying Time" are proof positive that every Streisand album has exceptional performances. Undiscovered gem: "Simple Man" is brilliant, with just the cello and harp accompaniment.

Love In the Afternoon
Guava Jelly
Grandma's Hands
I Won't Last A Day Without You
Jubilation
Simple Man
Life on Mars
Since I Don't Have You
Crying Time
Let the Good Times Roll